Joanna, Tobias (God is Gracious, God is Good)
by MasonMeridian
Summary: This is the story of a wandering girl and of the boy by the lake. This is the story of how Joanna met Toby. Set on Waffle Island. {As far as the title goes, that's what their names mean.}
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

I have many regrets in my life, but one of the two biggest was the way I left my father, Barley. I had my reasons for leaving so quietly, every time I had asked him about living off of our ranch he shut me down and shut me up, but I was cruel and I knew it. I packed one night, wrote him a letter, and left it on the front counter where I knew he would see it as soon as the "store" portion of our home was open the next morning. I remember it only vaguely, but I know that I was too brief. I wrote that I needed to leave and something about being young, carefree, and stagnating. I couldn't stay around that old ranch any longer, couldn't wake up to cows every morning and couldn't greet the same faces of the same villagers around me in the same manner every single day for the rest of my life. Typical teenage "I'm running away" kinds of things. What I remember that I did not write was how much I love him, or that I appreciate him, or where I was going, or that I would write him when I was safely settled in. The letter ended with a cold "Sincerely, Joanna", and I was out the door and on my way. It's been years. I still clearly remember the dreamy whimper of my little puppy Hannah as I closed the door and slipped away.

I was on a small ship that was heading for Waffle Island. I had heard a lot about it before leaving. It seemed fantastic and, more importantly, it was a place that no one knew me and no one knew of my family. It was a place to start fresh. I don't remember what I was running from then, but I knew that it definitely wouldn't find me there. Oh no, Waffle Island was a place absolutely packed with potential. I would no longer tend to the cows and sheep of my father's ranch. Maybe I would live off the land and catch fish and harvest wild food like people used to do, or I get a job at an inn or a diner and get my own apartment, or I grow vegetables and fruits and become a farmer. I would even keep chickens! I was just so, so tired of cows. Sheep too, though they offended me less because I was not expected to wake up to milk them. I would change and become something fresh and free and wonderful and not join the ranks of the barefoot and uneducated but well-meaning villagers of Mineral Town. I stepped off the boat onto Waffle Pier and headed off with a wave to my sailor and without direction.

Six hours of walking later, I wished I had asked for directions. Some days after I learned that I had arrived during the Flower Festival, but on that first day I walked without meeting anyone and, though I could definitely hear that something interesting was going on nearby, I didn't want to intrude. "The best way to find your way around is just to wander until you wind up where you need to be." I told it to the trees, and they refused to answer my absurdities. My stomach, however, had no problems answering. The things I brought with me were limited to my fishing rod, a book of matches, a sleeping bag, and a few changes of clothes. I came to a lake with a small pier: exactly what I wanted to find. I only had to wait about an hour before catching something the right size for a meal. It was maybe another hour before I built a small fire, cleaned and cooked my fish and ate it all. The sun was setting so I doused my fire and crawled under the pier, close to the top of the slope of ground that led into the water. The water was low, so it was dry and sheltered enough for me to sleep here just fine. I had always been adventurous and was used to falling asleep on the ground around Mother's Hill in Mineral Town, so this wasn't very different. I stuffed my gear towards the top of the slope, unrolled my sleeping bag, and quickly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2: We Meet

I awoke the next morning to the sound of footsteps above me. I mumbled sleepily and sat up, hit my head and groaned before falling back over and remembering where I was. An airy and relaxed voice answered. "What was that? Are you alright down there?" This is not how I wanted to meet my first person on Waffle Island. I didn't answer and tried to stay as still as possible so that I could not be heard. Maybe if I just didn't say anything, no one would look for me and I could try my first meeting again later on in the day. No such luck. After a moment had passed, I heard the sound of someone walking back up the pieer then pausing above me. I heard someone kneel, then a head popped upside down over the side. "Well, hello. You're new here. My name is Toby."

Toby. I don't think I ever could have told him what an effect he had on me that day, though in the coming years I would certainly try. The morning light glinted off of his silver-grey hair and surrounded him in soft light. His smile was brighter than that, radiating a sort of calm that I reminded me of floating out in the lake at the base of Mother's Hill in the middle of a still summer. He was not an energetic happiness that demanded you jump up and take part, he was the tranquil calm of sunbeams on a river. He was my first love, and I didn't even know him yet. Instead of voicing any of this, of course, I just answered: "I'm Joanna. I've come to start a new life."

"Well, it's probably not going to be found under there. Come on out and I'll show you around." I crawled out, rolled my sleeping bag, and packed everything back into the bag I pulled it out of last night. I stood, shouldered my pack, and smiled. "What time is it, anyway? I hope I didn't sleep all day." "Only about seven in the morning, don't worry. Let's go look around. I'll introduce you. It may seem overwhelming at first, but it's peaceful here. Everyone knows everyone, it's pretty much just like a small village would be." "Great". I tried not to let the sarcasm leak into my voice, but I guess he must have noticed something. "I mean, umm, 'great, that's fantastic'." "Not a people-person? That's fine. I tend to prefer the company of the fish, too. But everyone here is really close to nature. Come with me, I'll show you my favorite spots instead." He smiled, and I could not say no. We walked for a while in comfortable silence, except when he would pause point to a building or a sign and tell me where we were. We meandered through all the districts, pausing at Caramel River and a few other spots in the woods and in the mountains. We passed through the town portion pretty quickly and he nodded at a few places without really paying attention to them. There was something mentioned about an inn and the town square, but I don't actually know where any of it was. I was focusing on the slight changes in his behavior as we walked towards more and more crowded areas. He seemed out of place and aware of it, but determined not to let it get to him. We walked towards the beach and as soon as we reached it, he was more relaxed. Back into nature, back into his element. We eventually ended up at a place called On the Hook. "Here" he told me "is the best place to buy fish, if you don't have time to catch them. They're all fresh daily and all prepared with care. I work here with my uncle Ozzie and his little boy Paolo. Let's go meet them."


	3. Chapter 3: The Fishing Clan

Toby walked in slightly ahead of me and I heard a deep, laughing voice "Toby! I thought you were never going to come in today! Paolo was starting to get worried!" A child's voice: "I was not, liar!" I stepped in behind him and smiled. "I'm Joanna. You must be Ozzie and Paolo. Hello." Ozzie laughed again.

O: "Well! I know what was keeping our Toby for so long now. Why didn't you tell me, boy?"

T: "No, it isn't like that, she's new here on the island. She needed the tour."

O: "New? Why didn't you say so? Joanna, how long have you been here?"

J: "Only since yesterday."

O: "So you probably don't have a job yet. We have a part-time position open right now. It's yours if you think you can handle it." My first real job!

J: "I absolutely can. Thanks!"

He wrote a little on a piece of paper and handed it to me.

O: "There are our hours, and the underlined bits are when you're expected to be here. You can start tomorrow. It's late now, I suggest you head back to the inn for today."

J: "That's probably a good idea. But sir, where is the inn again?"

O: "I'll have Toby show you. He'd be happy to."

T: "Sure."

P: "But lady, if you didn't know where the inn is, where did you sleep last night?"

J: "Well…"

I didn't really want to tell them where I slept, or that I actually planned to stay there again tonight to save a little money.

T: "I found her sleeping under the pier at Maple Lake!"

O: "Really? Under the pier. You'll be perfect for this job, I swear."

They all laughed, and I couldn't help joining in despite my embarrassment. Toby and I left a little later and he walked me to the front of Sundae Inn. He told me how much they charge and the names of the owners: Jake and Colleen, the chef: Yolanda, the bartender: Hayden, and the waiters: Chase, Kathy, and Maya.I thanked him and waited until he left before leaving the inn and walking back to Maple Lake to spend the night as I had before. I did appreciate the kindness, but I didn't have the gold to waste on a room, and the weather was so nice that it didn't matter much to me. I prefered watching the water ripple and settle under the wind to sleeping in a stuffy room in any inn, no matter how kind the people may be. I fell asleep and dreamt of being a fish with scales of a thousand hues, swimming free under the light of a harvest moon..


End file.
